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German History in Documents and Images
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Arthur Kampf, August 1, 1914, in Berlin (1914)
The Russians mobilized their army against the Austro-Hungarian Empire on July 31, 1914. The Germans responded on the evening of August 1, 1914, by mobilizing their own troops. The scene depicted in this painting by Arthur Kampf (1864-1950) takes place during the day-long interval between the two mobilization orders. Set in a Berlin square in front of the Kaiser's residence, the painting features a man who, with an imperial flag in hand, has climbed a lantern post and appears to speak to a crowd below.